New to the forum..92 Protege DX
 

Just wanted to let you know about my beater car that gets me good gas mileage, and ask a few questions.

My car gets 41.96 MPG when driven carefully under 80% highway 20% stop and go.

Believe it or not, those numbers were with 2 quarts of lucas stabilizer and 2 quarts of Valvoline High Mileage oil.

The car burns oil at startup, so I suspect valve stem seals, but I dont have the time or money to fix it.

I have recently switched over to Castrol 10w 30 High Mileage oil and it seems to smoke the same or less now.

The air conditioning compressor locked up on me, so I can't use it :(

I am probably going to pop a new one up there because driving down the highway with my windows open is killing my gas mileage, but with 100 + degree summers, and close to 100% humidity, I can't get around it since I am forced to wear businesss casual.

I feel blessed that this forum does exist.

Any thoughts on my car and getting better gas mileage? FYI it is the 1.8 SOHC in this car.

Thanks

Welcome to GS
 

Hi -- Welcome to GasSavers

Tell us a little bit more about your Protege...is it the 5-speed, how many miles?

Also, what part of the world are you in? -- an approximate area is OK. (Sounds uncomfortable without the A/C).

I understand with the air, though -- windows down on the highway is bad aero, but the compressor uses up the fuel -- and business casual isn't very good soaked. Problem is, you'll probably see a decrease in economy if you replace the compressor, since it will probably be used in City driving.

But, there are ways to improve beyond your baseline, even with the A/C...

For basics, I recommend the stickies in the General Discussion forum to get started.

There's also a "Gas Mileage Contest" going on that has a good thread about some advanced technique and lessons learned.

If you have any questions, we're always here to help :thumbup:

Best FE,

RH77

My wife had a '91 Protege. What a nice little sedan it was...

You are doing well with the mileage, it seems. Poke around here some and you will find some ways to do even better.

Thanks all. I thought I posted that I was in the DC area. Whoops!

It is the 5 spd.

I am pretty crafty with mechanics and since gas has gotten more expensive over the years, I have learned to stop seeing how quickly I can go down the quarter mile and do something for my wallet.

Thanks for all the tips.